Books

Rob the Vatican

The Vatican City --- the smallest country in the world, home to the leader of the Catholic Church and the stronghold for most of the faithful; the habitat of a significant number of treasures that have aged to be almost untouchable; perhaps uniquely surreal; one of the most secured places in the world, until now… Robert Gallant, through

tireless
years of research and dialogues with the minds behind historical concepts in Rome, presents his latest thriller, Rob the Vatican --- a novel that morphs the Città del Vaticano into the center of what could be the greatest heist in history. While this tiny state is known for being impervious, Gallant opens his readers’ eyes into the possibility of the impossible --- a concept

Robert GallantRob the Vatican

Satan's Stronghold

In Gallant’s debut suspense novel Satan’s Stronghold, beautiful former collegiate swimming champion Chesney Barrett takes the role of an undercover tasked to locate the alleged drug factory hidden deep in the Louisiana swamps. Chesney thought that while doing her further graduate studies in environmental research in the Louisiana Atchafalaya

Basin, the only dangers she would be facing are alligators and moccasins. Unknowingly, another person’s appearance would change her life in just a matter of days. Travis Weld, leader of an undercover government unit was tapped by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to search for and locate the illicit drug operations. As two lives already succumb to death for being in the wrong

spot, Weld plotted a different approach for getting the job done. Recruit a beautiful, athletic woman with a reason for being in the swamp. With no experience in combat fighting, Chesney was placed in an arena she is not familiar with. The biggest challenge becomes staying alive. Equipped with only wit, great physique, and good instincts – will Chesney be able to dodge the traps set by

these evil men? As she embarks on this mission; she mentally conditioned herself with the words of her late father, “Watch the winners. Learn what makes them a winner. Then beat them by doing it even better. Stay a winner by creating your own unique advantages.” Could her charm and fast thinking be enough to convince Plantation Owner Jacques Dupree that she is simply doing her

Robert GallantSatan’s Stronghold

Jericho's Trumpet

“Rousing gunfire and espionage elevated by an indelible protagonist.” – Kirkus Review Jericho’s Trumpet is a sequel to Robert Gallant’s Satan’s Stronghold which is also an action-packed plot but of more complex threats. This narrative showcases more of what Chesney Barrett can offer to Travis Weld’s team and to the government.

Chesney Barrett has finally accepted a life different from what she is used to. After accomplishing her mission of working as an undercover spy to locate the drug den and help capture the perpetrators; she has continued living from a different perspective. She has finally come to terms with deception being the norm, as what Weld has instilled in her. Chesney now shows-off her charisma as a

science-fair judge in order to trace the smuggled nuclear bomb into US. While seemingly this focuses on Chesney and her undeniable talent, Weld on the other hand remains being the tough guy and works on his own with Cassidy as his partner. Weld’s impatience and desperation to get the thing done will likely put their lives at stake. Will they make it the second time around and find the

Robert GallantJericho’s Trumpet

The Armageddon Virus

“Chesney is an appealing, capable lead.” – Kirkus Review Bob Gallant’s thriller series keeps getting better and better, and more intense. The Armageddon Virus is the third installment to his action-packed, thriller series. Travis Weld and Chesney Barrett’s tandem is taken to a whole new level where Chesney tries to stop the

alleged illegal transaction involving a potentially deadly virus. Let’s take a walk to memory lane – viruses were one of the major causes of death of our ancestors. A single virus can damage an entire community; if there’s no known cure. Weld in a pursuit of terrorists, intercepted a phone message from an anonymous sender trying to sell a deadly virus to a weapon dealer. This leaves

them with an intense pursuit of who this person is and what this deadly virus being sold is. Chesney, who has become Weld’s first contact in missions like this, found herself leading towards a virology research company. As she tries to explore virology in this industry; she has noted wary deaths, and met various virologists. During her stay, her keen self found out about the long time

feud going on inside the premises, which she purported to be the key in resolving the case. The closer she gets to the answers, the closer she is to danger. Imagine a single virus that can endanger not only one or two lives, but millions. Find out if this tandem can

Robert GallantThe Armageddon Virus

MIDLAND, Mich. - Travis Weld, leader of a clandestine government team, reaches out once more to environmental graduate student Chesney Barrett in the fourth book of Robert Gallant's suspense thriller series featuring the two characters. This time, Travis

needs Chesney's skills to help rescue a brilliant archaeologist, David Phillips, from guerillas in the Yucatan.

The mission plunges Chesney into a dangerous and complex quest for the sacred site of Viracocha, the legendary god. To reach God's Domain, Chesney and David must decipher the clues and face a duplicitous ally and ruthless military commander on a journey that has the

potential to change the world forever.

Gallant says he was inspired by "Reading a series of articles in National Geographic about ancient South American cultures and the Nazca Lines in Peru. I then spent several years researching Mexican and South American cultures to develop the scenario for the novel."

"Sometimes what we do can create a much more dangerous problem than we

Robert GallantGod’s Domain

Alpha and Omega

Beautiful environmental graduate student Chesney Barrett previously helped clandestine government agent Travis Weld locate and destroy a drug operation in the Louisiana swamps. Her ability to decipher clues that lead to complex criminal plots, and maneuver her way through dangerous confrontations led Weld to use her again to help

track down the owner of a Russian suitcase-sized nuclear bomb and again to locate the scientist offering to sell a deadly new virus.
Chesney is now utilizing her swimming expertise to help the forestry service gather environmental samples from the rivers in the Smoky Mountain National Park. When she finds a dead man obviously killed by a large animal,

she hustles downstream to retrieve her boat so she can take the body into the Forestry Service Center. But when she returns, the body is gone. The tracks indicate animals that are not normally in these forests have taken the body and someone is with the animals. None of this makes sense. Who is the dead man? Who is the person who somehow controls the animals? What are they doing in this

forest? Trying to answer these questions plunges Chesney into a deadly confrontation that rapidly escalates into a battle for who will control a unique new weapon. This time, it is Chesney who will ask

Robert GallantAlpha and Omega

Reviews

I really loved this book.
When I select a book to read I usually read a few pages to see if I’m interested in it at all.
From the moment I started reading, I knew it would be a page turner and I was not disappointed.
The characters (Darlena and Craig) were very likeable and well developed. There was a lot of action and suspense. Not only was there a thief trying to steal Vatican treasures but also a plot to change leadership in the Vatican as well.

I would recommend this book to all my family and friends.

~Donna PlotzkaHope, Michigan

I am a big time novel reader, but normally not ones with violence.
However, “Rob The Vatican” gave me a personal tour of every aspect of the Vatican, people to root for, including the jewel thief, and I believe the author could have pulled off this impossible robbery.
I was prepared to cry at the ending but instead the author came up with an ending that I applauded.
So despite the violence, this was a mesmerizing story.
I have read three of his other novels and again, despite the violence, I could not put the books down.

The stories were unique, filled with fascinating information, and the endings were perfect.

~Vicki Fiske
Suffolk, Virginia

Adventure abounds in this pulse-pounding tribute to classic caper yarns. Gallant compellingly interweaves enticing information about the Vatican’s physical properties, security procedures, and treasure holdings, with the interlopers strategy and tactics for looting the place. There is the biggest score imaginable—the Vatican.

~The US Review of Books

A thriller that delivers real excitement but glosses many gripping plot points.

~Kirkus Reviews

Rob The Vatican is an action-adventure that will have readers on the edge of their seats. The book centers around Craig Reynolds, an American jewel thief who sets out to do an impossible task: pull off a heist in the holiest city of all, the Vatican. Gallant shows that he’s skilled at writing a compelling plot and creating a vivid world for the characters to move in. His descriptions of Italy and the Vatican are clearly familiar to him, as the reader feels as if he or she is transported into the holy world with the protagonist. Rob the Vatican is a perfect book for those diehard action fans that are looking to read about a setting, which we don’t get to see.

~Pacific Book Review

Not just any heist, but a heist of the highest order

Not content to simply depict an incredibly involving robbery, Gallant has also spiced his story with fascinating characters and compelling subplots

There is an almost encyclopedic quality to his descriptions of the Vatican’s environs, their security operations, and the innumerable holdings of the Holy See. These depictions brim with authenticity.

~Hollywood Book Review

I learned more about viruses by reading “The Armageddon Virus” than I learned in my pre-med classes at college. Could not put it down. The story was amazing and I absolutely adore Chesney Barrett. Just read “Satan’s Stronghold”, which was the novel where Chesney Barrett was created and it is just as good as “The Armageddon Virus”. Two more of Chesney’s novels to read.

Go Chesney Go.

~Nicole Maynard
Ann Arbor, Michigan

"We don’t have the luxury of bidding our time. If the seller delivers the virus, the game passes out of our hands and the body count begins.”

Author Gallant has crafted a thriller that is as compelling intellectually as it is hormonally. It’s the fevered hunt for an unseen, unexplainable killer virus that keeps you turning page after page. The author’s considerable knowledge of technology helps meld computer science, biology, and medicine into a frighteningly plausible nightmare of a virus so deadly it could literally wipe out millions of people.

From the prologue of the book, “I you could go back far enough in your genealogy, you would discover that your ancestors were viruses. Never underestimate what a virus can do. One day we will have to deal with the Armageddon Virus."

~The US Review of Books

Chesney proves herself to be a very strong and capable character. The fictional work will push the way readers think about the world we live in, and how science and technology interact with new forms of global terrorism. What if the scenario set up in the book did happen?

This book would be perfect for discussing in a book club. Fans of sci-fi, thrillers, action, drama, and intense suspense will enjoy “The Armageddon Virus”.

~Pacific Book Review

Chesney is a formidable protagonist, capable of self-defense—whether armed or not—and intuitive as well. An environmental grad student in Louisiana tries to stop the sale of a potentially deadly virus.

~Kirkus Reviews

Rousing gunfire and espionage elevated by an indelible protagonist.

Environmental graduate student Chesney Barrett infiltrates a group of eco-radicals intent on making an explosive statement with a nuclear bomb.

Gallant’s descriptions of Chesney’s Louisiana bayou life are vibrant. “Air hung heavy with the taste of weed-clogged water flavored by a hint of wild hibiscus and tangy cedar.”

Action scenes, too, are exceptional, with Weld and partner Cassidy, who pride themselves on killing—in lieu of haggling with—terrorists.

But it’s truly the resourceful and memorable Chesney’s story and, quite frankly, her series.

~Kirkus Reviews

This is a taut and tidy thriller likely to leave gourmets of the genre thoroughly well-fed.

Weld is a stone cold operative renowned for leaving the bodies of bad guys in his wake. Chesney Barrett is his six-foot female recruit, whose long legs and lithe physique are matched only by her soaring intellect, and a commitment to justice that knows no bounds.

From shootouts, to hand-to-hand combat, to boudoir battles and death-defying rescues, the physical and sexual skirmishes splash spice on this Cajun Jambalaya adventure.

Two nuclear suitcase bombs have gone missing and agent Weld is tasked with finding them. The novel revolves around Barrett’s undercover work to learn the truth, leverage her position with the villains, and avert a disaster of horrific proportion.

~Pacific Book Review

“If we don’t stop the polluters, all of civilization will die. Industrial polluters are legalized serial killers.”

Gallant’s narrative follows in the same action-packed format as in book one, but only more complex.

~The US Review of Books

This was a very suspenseful, action packed novel. Having lived my entire life in Louisiana and been an avid fisherman for many years, I thought I knew everything about the Atchafalaya Basin swamps. But this book was an education, with information I had never known in detail and its ability to describe the uniqueness and sheer wild beauty. I actually hired a fishing guide to take me into a few of the deep sections I had never really seen and fully appreciated.

One of the best novels I have ever read.

~Mike Fontenot
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Interesting subject. Plot flowed smoothly.

Rate it a 4 out of 5.

~Patsy Berghuis
Midland, Michigan

This tale is a powerful thriller with a strong female protagonist.

~Foreword Reviews

A sensational protagonist pitted against hazards of the swamp and dangerous men.

The real concerns are whether or not Chesney is able to pull off this extremely dangerous mission and come out of the Basin alive.

5 Star Review Rating

~Pacific Book Review

Gallant does succeed with an intriguing plot with plenty of action, while painting a vivid picture of the wild landscape of the Atchafalaya Basin.

Her mind shut out the swamp, the chaos of the drug, and the specter of death looming around her.

~The US Review of Books

Gallant is both a skillful storyteller and an excellent writer. He moves his narrative along at a rapid pace. His characters are highly memorable. His dialogue crackles with wit and sounds like real speech, not just plot exposition. He’s particularly adept at bringing to life the aura of Louisiana’s milieu. Cajuns drinking beer and having fun, water moccasins hanging from the branches of trees, old world gentility, uneducated loyalty, unrestrained cruelty—they all meld into an intriguing mosaic that adds color and life to the suspense and violence that goes on around them.

This is a compelling tale that sometimes blurs the lines between doing something wrong to achieve something right, but it continually delivers intensity from start to finish. If you are well traveled in the thriller genre, you’ll enjoy your trip down south to Satan’s Stronghold.